Thought of the Day 10.08.08

Hedonism is a philosophy which seeks to maximize personal pleasure, generally of the carnal or physical sort. Ever since the advent of the slogan, “Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll,” we’ve seen a constant increase in American hedonism. But, of course, one needn’t be a total reprobate to be a hedonist.

One might simply enjoy sports or television too much, or perhaps food, more commonly called gluttony. Then there are less tangible forms such as pursuing the emotional stimulations of anger, drama, and humor. This is the sort of hedonism which worries me the most because it’s the kind which ultimately begins to categorize all other people based upon how entertaining they are to me, thus treating all others as mere objects for my pleasure.

In such a culture, one discovers that it’s not enough to be merely good. One must be entertaining as well. But what happens when being good becomes so devalued that it’s merely an optional add-on to being entertaining?